


OMEGA 3 (or how to court a guy, by lee jinki)

by jecca-o9 (talkplaylove)



Category: K-pop, SHINee
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bad Puns, Cheesy, Fluff, Humor, Kibum rolling with secondhand embarrassment as he would, M/M, Minor Kim Jonghyun/Kim Kibum | Key, Onew-style jokes, Puns & Word Play, Secret Admirer, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, very very serious tooth rotting fluff you have been warned
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-24 17:02:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21821374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/talkplaylove/pseuds/jecca-o9
Summary: It all began with a box.
Relationships: Lee Jinki | Onew/Lee Taemin
Comments: 4
Kudos: 26





	OMEGA 3 (or how to court a guy, by lee jinki)

**Author's Note:**

> Orignally posted on my LJ, 12/30/2010  
>  **notes** when i'm stuck on HS!AU i write something else to get rid of the writers block. somehow i ended up with 2,600 words of this. this is probably the most embarrassing thing i've ever written. it has no discernible plot, and is probably not even funny. just extremely corny and really embarrassing. you have been warned.
> 
> Credits to Bob Ong, for the Panliligaw 101 _(Courting 101)_ tips.
> 
> this is for Laura . because she's asked me for Ontae, and now she shall learn why it should never be done.

It all began with a box.

A box that was currently being delivered to his homeroom by a guy in a red LBC jacket, white trainers and skintight jeans.

And inexplicably wearing a white surgical mask and dark glasses. Taemin sat up on his chair (the first reaction out of him the whole day, his teacher noted wryly) as he took to watching the scene with the rest of his classmates. The LBC guy stumbled a bit before placing the box on their teacher's desk.

The box was probably two feet high and three feet long, wrapped in plain green paper with a ribbon stuck on the top. The teacher cleared her throat, directing attention back to herself.

"What is this?" she asked sternly. Her eyes were dancing though, as if she couldn’t believe she received such a present—in front of her whole class, no less.

The LBC guy shrugged, produced a clipboard out of nowhere, and made her sign the acknowledgement receipt. Taemin couldn't help feeling that the LBC guy seemed familiar somehow. The class watched as the LBC guy edged out of the doorway, before popping his head back in to say, "The box is for Lee Taemin." and disappearing.

Taemin blinked as all his classmates turned to stare at him.

Of course, he got detention for "disturbing a class discussion". Never mind that he was a mere recipient of The Box (as his classmates had taken to calling it), and had no control on when or where it was delivered. Or if the box had sparked hopes in his teacher that she had a romantic lover.

He stared at the box in front of him as he wrote lines for detention, its’ green wrapper sparkling at him. Kibum turned in his seat to look at him, hissing for details about the box. Kibum got himself into detention once a week, at the very least. Taemin liked him well enough; he was a good hyung if only slightly suffocating in his affections.

Taemin shrugged off his questions and promised to open the box with him after school let out.

The wrapper gave way to an ordinary looking box. Taemin opened the flaps, anticipation building up in his chest.

There was another box inside.

Taemin blinked. Taemin opened the second box to another smaller, more compact box. Kibum snorted. He opened the flaps of that box, and blinked as it revealed yet another smaller box. Curiosity and impatience fighting now, Taemin opened the fourth box with no semblance of care and stared, dumbfounded as a silver can popped into view.

A can of sardines.

"What. The. Fuck." Kibum said, taking the can out of the box and bringing it up to the classroom's fluorescent light. He shook the can. "Feels like sardines, alright."

Taemin met Kibum's incredulous stare. "Who would go through all the trouble to send you this box, only to give you _sardines_ at the end?"

Taemin shrugged; he didn't have a clue either.

"Really, Taeminnie." Kibum said. "You should pick your suitors better."

That afternoon found Kibum and Taemin in an ice cream shop, with Kibum's college boyfriend in tow. The can of sardines were snug in the side pocket of Taemin's backpack.

Kibum, busy retelling his adventures in detention (aptly titled Taemin and The Mystery Box) to Jonghyun, barely looked up as Taemin's cell phone rang. He answered the call, and by the time he was done, Jonghyun was laughing at the story and got Taemin to show him the offending can.

"You know, this feels like something that--" and then Jonghyun stopped talking, his features changing into one of surprise, then unsuppressed glee. "No. way."

"What?" Kibum asked, not one to like being the last to know.

Jonghyun was still grinning, mouth stretched wide to show his perfect teeth. He opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted by the arrival of two other people. Taemin moved to make room for them on the booth, surprised at their quick arrival, then figuring they were nearer than Minho let on when he called. Minho also studied in Kibum and his high school while Lee Jinki was Jonghyun's friend from college.

It was when Jinki stumbled a bit before managing to get in his seat that Taemin's eyes widened, the action reminding him of something he had witnessed earlier on. Jonghyun confirmed his hunch when he shoved the can of sardines under Jinki's nose, smirking.

"Hyung!" Taemin said, eyes as round as saucers as he took in Jinki, who was looking down past his nose at the can with difficulty.

"Hmm," Jinki said, cross-eyed before taking the can out of Jonghyun's grasp and looking at it from a respectable distance.

"You were in my class this afternoon! You delivered that thing!" Taemin said. At this, Kibum started to cough, his drink going up the wrong pipe; Jonghyun was still grinning, hand coming up to pat Kibum's back. Minho turned a curious gaze upon them all. Jinki's ears flushed.

"I...yeah," Jinki replied, the flush spreading to his neck.

"Who's it from? Why didn't you say hi?" Taemin asked, curiosity and slight annoyance at being ignored by his hyung earlier fighting against each other. "I didn't know you worked as a delivery guy!"

"Er," Jinki stammered and Jonghyun started laughing again.

Kibum turned to him, "What is wrong with you," He stated, mouth pursing. Jonghyun shook his head, Jinki flushed, Taemin looked at them all in confusion, before Jonghyun grabbed Kibum's wrist and told him he needed to get some air.

("Well you obviously do, as you've gone insane, but I'd like to stay in here thank you very much," Kibum started as his wrist was tugged by a standing Jonghyun.

"I..just," Jonghyun paused to breathe before starting to chuckle again. "I'll explain outside, okay?"

Kibum's lips still pursed and Jonghyun put his other hand up to Kibum's face, thumb pressing down on Kibum's lips, grinning. "Outside," Jonghyun said again, and Taemin scrunched his nose. "Ew PDA."

Kibum shot him a look but let himself be dragged out by a chortling Jonghyun, who paused to wink at Jinki before leaving their table.)

Insane (and possibly horny) friends out of the way, Taemin once again turned to Jinki. "Hyung, why didn't you say hi? Who's it from?"

Jinki shot Minho a look, before looking back at Taemin. In a small voice, he said: "It's from me."

Taemin's eyes widened.

"Okay." He smiled. He liked Jinki-hyung. He let Taemin act as childish as he wanted to, and even joined him in the fun sometimes. "Why didn't you just give it to me straight away?" Taemin asked, turning the can over in his hands.

"I thought you'd have fun opening the boxes," Jinki said, now looking doubtful.

"I did!" Taemin replied quickly.

Jinki smiled.

"So," Taemin began, then went ahead. He was young, they'd forgive him for his bluntness. "Why sardines?"

Jinki took the can from his hands and pointed at the red heart next to the label. The words OMEGA 3 were enclosed in the heart.

"Because," Jinki said, looking into Taemin's eyes. "You're good for my heart."

This time, it was Minho who had the coughing fit.

Okay, so maybe it didn't all begin with the box.

Maybe it began a week or two ago, when Kibum was sour-graping at Taemin, and telling him to never ever be in a relationship without being properly courted with presents first. Jinki had looked nervous at Kibum's diatribe, and Minho just shrugged and replied that he did give Yuri a bunch of things before they got together.

Jonghyun had shoved a box under Kibum’s nose the next day, saying, "Don't say I never gave you anything."

In the box were the Alexander Wang sunglasses Kibum had been lusting over for more than half a year. They'd proceeded to make-out then, as they were wont to do in public, before Minho told them to get a room.

They left the three of them then, but not before Kibum told Taemin, "See? Let them give you presents first!"

Although, Taemin didn't think that this was the kind of ‘presents’ Kibum had in mind. He looked again at the can of sardines in his hand, mindful of how Minho was now gulping water. Kibum screamed outside and barged back in the shop, Jonghyun at his heels, startled customers looking at him.

"NOT MY BABY," Kibum lunged for Jinki who gave a meeep! and ducked under the table. The table overturned, and would've hit Taemin and Minho if Taemin didn't feel an arm grabbing his and dragging him away. Thank heavens for Minho and his soccer-honed reflexes.

Jonghyun was laughing again as he watched his boyfriend try to strangle Jinki for daring to go after his baby.

"Come on Kibum, it's Jinki." Minho was saying next to Taemin. "He's _harmless_."

"Yes, because entering a high school dressed as a delivery guy reeks of uncreepiness." Kibum replied, shooting a glare over his shoulder. Minho had nothing to say to that.

"But it's kind of funny," Taemin said. "Once you get past the creepiness."

They all looked at him. Jinki peeked at him from around Kibum. He looked back at them with his wide eyes. Just then, the owner of the shop came out the back room with a scream upon seeing the mess (and the chants of "Fight! Fight! Fight!" from around the shop finally reached Taemin's ears) and ran them out of the shop, with threats to their boy bits and inexplicably, Kibum's hair ("He's just jealous," Kibum sniffed. "Since he's bald and everything." Jinki thought it had more to do with the fact that Kibum did the screaming and most of the shoving the table and strangling but wisely kept his mouth shut, scratch marks still on his arm).

The next week, Jinki gave Taemin a box of crayons. They were at a McDonald's off the corner of the soccer field, having come from watching Minho's game. Kibum watched them warily. Taemin opened the box and found 24 black crayons staring back up at him. He frowned and turned the box over.

On the back of the box, written in felt tip, were the words _Life doesn't have colors when you aren't around._

A bubbling started in Taemin's stomach and he started laughing. He caught Jinki's eye and grinned. Jinki grinned, a pleased flush creeping up his cheeks. Kibum read the inscription over his shoulder and gave a horrified whine. Jonghyun was laughing, fist banging against the table.

Minho shook his head at the lot of them, wondering why he was even friends with the idiots.

When Taemin got a canister of cooking oil delivered in class the next week (sans the suspicious LBC jacket-clad Jinki), with the words OMEGA 3 on its' top right corner encircled in red marker, he didn't even need to ask.

It was exam week for both Jinki's university and Taemin's high school. Jinki and Jonghyun haven't dropped by for almost three weeks now and hanging out with Kibum was becoming as fun as hanging with a woman undergoing menopause. Taemin dragged himself out of his front door, not really looking forward to sitting for his Algebra exam today, when he saw that his mailbox was open.

Curious, he stepped near it and pulled out the offending article that stopped the box from closing.

He blinked.

In his hand lay a clothes hanger.

He turned the item over in his hands, peeked inside the mailbox to see if there was a note, but there was nothing.

As he was about to put the hanger back in the mailbox and go on to school, his phone buzzed.

It was a message from Jinki. Taemin grinned and was soon laughing as soon as he read the message.

_I miss hanging out with you._

(When Kibum asked him what a clothes hanger was doing protruding out of his backpack, Taemin just grinned and showed him Jinki's message.

Kibum gave him a horrified look, "Really, Taeminnie, this is so painful to watch. I've been slowly and painfully dying from second hand embarrassment for _weeks_."

Taemin just flashed him a smile that could light up their whole dimly lit high school.)

The week they all saw each other again was the beginning of the holiday break. They were once again allowed into the ice cream shop, with Jonghyun charming the owner's daughter into admitting them. This, of course, led to a miffed Kibum, and Jonghyun spent most of the afternoon trying to placate him.

When Kibum went to grab their orders with Jinki, Minho remarked that Jonghyun really didn't have to flirt with the owner's daughter so much. Jonghyun grinned in response. "Kibum's hot when he's pissed. And, in bed--"

"Hyung!" Taemin said, with just the right amount of affliction. Minho shot Jonghyun a warning look for talking about Grown Up Things in front of Taemin. Taemin sighed in relief--he did it not because he was innocent and naive like they all liked to believe, but because he really did not want to know what Jonghyun and Kibum were like in bed. He had enough of their PDA to last a lifetime.

Kibum and Jinki came back then with their orders. Taemin looked, perplexed, at the ice cream cone that was thrust in his hands.

Just that. An ice cream cone without the ice cream.

"It melted when it saw you," Jinki explained.

Taemin blinked. Kibum made a keening sound.

Minho stood up gracefully and headed for the door.

"You know, like my insides." Jinki said.

Jonghyun managed to hold Kibum this time.

The last gift Taemin received from Jinki was given to him when they were out, just by themselves. Taemin was hanging off Jinki's shoulders as they walked through one of the carnivals that always popped up around Christmastime. Kibum, of course, was too prissy to enjoy such plebian whims, and Jonghyun was making up for the lost time during exam week with Kibum at his flat. Minho had a date with Yuri, and it no doubt involved some huge heart-melting gesture that Minho was fond of doing. So that left Taemin and Jinki, and Taemin really wanted to go to the carnival.

It was in a box that fit in his palm, wrapped in silver paper. Taemin received it when they were up at the top of the Ferris Wheel, after spending ages playing games, trying to dunk the lady in the water (Taemin did it twice, Jinki once), and eating cotton candy.

Taemin tore the wrapper, eager to see the present.

It was the standard green box.

Of a lightbulb.

Taemin looked at Jinki, and opened the box. Sure enough, a light bulb rolled unto his palm. The lights of the city blinked outside their cart.

Jinki opened his mouth to explain his recent gift.

Taemin's eyes sparkled. "Wait, hyung! I know what this is!" He said excitedly.

"Yeah?" Jinki asked, surprised.

"Yeah," Taemin grinned. "I light up your life, right?"

Jinki flushed.

(They alighted the Wheel and resumed walking around the carnival holding hands.)

A couple of days later, they were eating at a pizzeria. Jinki's fingers were interlaced with Taemin's, and it gave Taemin a nice fuzzy feeling in the pit of his stomach. He needed his hands to eat though, and as he tried to slip his fingers from Jinki's, Jinki tightened his hold. Jinki grinned at him and motioned to the sign posted on the wall.

Taemin read it, blinked, and then laughed. Jinki smiled next to him, and Taemin squeezed his hand, "Hyung."

Jinki looked at him.

Taemin grinned and kissed him.

_Don't leave your valuables unattended._


End file.
